Communication device enclosure

ABSTRACT

An enclosure for communication devices is described comprising a rear housing and a faceplate. Various faceplates may be provided for different communication devices. The rear housing mounts to existing phone backboards. The rear housing may remain mounted and the faceplate exchanged for a different faceplate with a different communication device. The enclosure provides a simple, ubiquitous, an inexpensive enclosure that can support various communication devices that provide a variety of communication services to users such as email, VOIP, video calls, or other advanced telecommunications.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/872,509 filed Oct. 1, 2015, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field

This disclosure relates generally to an enclosure and mounting systemfor communication devices. In particular, this disclosure relates to asystem for mounting communications devices in places previously occupiedby conventional telephone systems.

Background

Telephones are mounted to walls by phone backboards. Phone backboardsare mounting boards that allow conventional telephone systems (“plainold telephone service” or “POTS”) to be mounted to a wall or othermounting point such as a pedestal. Conventional telephone systemsconventionally provided only analog voice communication capabilities.These conventional telephone systems also only require a singletelephone cord connection because conventional analog telephones derivedboth power and connectivity from a single cable. In this manner,conventional telephone systems are limited in their communicationscapabilities.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a simple, ubiquitous,and inexpensive enclosure that can support various communication devicesthat provide a variety of communication services to users. In anembodiment, a single enclosure is provided that can be adapted to avariety of purposes for different types of services such as email, VOIP,video calls, or other advanced telecommunications. In an embodiment, theenclosure comprises a universal rear housing and a faceplate. Theuniversal rear housing reduces installation and service cost compared toconventional communication system deployment. When one communicationdevice is retired, the rear housing can stay in place and accommodate anew communication device in the same faceplate or in a new faceplate,depending on device dimensions. As a result, equipment cost andinstallation cost are reduced. The unique, two component design allowsfor interchangeable faceplates without the need to change the rearhousing. Thus, when a communication device becomes obsolete, broken, orotherwise reaches its end of life, the rear housing can remain whileonly the faceplate is replaced with new hardware. This further reduceshardware obsolescence and cost of replacement.

Embodiments include faceplates for a variety of communication devices ofvarying dimensions and sizes. For example, in some embodiments thecommunication device is a tablet computer. Embodiments of the enclosurecan accommodate any size tablet computer, such as a 10.1″ tablet or an8″ tablet computer. In an embodiment a tablet computer is installable inboth portrait and landscape orientation using the same rear housing andfaceplate. Faceplates can be orientated during or after installation toaccommodate the type of applications that will be made available tousers.

The enclosure according to some embodiments provides a compact, spacesaving way to provide a variety of communication services to a userusing a minimum of wall space and infrastructure. In some embodiments,power-over-Ethernet equipment is housed by the rear housing to provideboth power and network connectivity to the communication device,removing the need for 120VAC infrastructure at each installation point.This is important because the conventional telephones that somefacilities were designed for did not require any external power becausethey received power from conventional POTS phone lines. With themigration away from POTS phone systems to internet, VOIP, videoconferencing, and other IP-based communication methods, these facilitiesdo not have the infrastructure to support 120VAC at each phoneinstallation point. To address these situations, in an embodiment, therear disclosure houses power-over-Ethernet equipment to provide bothpower and network connectivity to a communication device from a singleEthernet wire. This makes installation of advanced communication deviceseasier in facilities that lack the infrastructure to support separatepower and network connectivity at every installation point.

Advantageously, some embodiments of the enclosure are designed to fitinto installation points that were previously occupied by a conventional“POTS” phone system. These phone system were often installed on phonebackboards. In some embodiments the rear housing is configured to attachto these existing phone backboards that are present where older phonesystems have been removed. This is yet another way in which theenclosure of embodiments of the invention reduces infrastructure andmaintenance cost.

In an embodiment, the enclosure is adapted for use in an institutionalsetting. Institutional settings include penal institutions, militaryinstitutions, hospitals, schools, and businesses. In a prison or othercorrectional facility, for example, the enclosure is made of highstrength materials such as steel or aluminum to provide protection forsensitive communication devices such as tablet computers. Tabletcomputers by themselves are typically constructed of plastics and glassand are therefore susceptible to damage from misuse or abuse. Anenclosure made of high strength materials provides protection againstsuch misuse and abuse by at least partially enclosing the communicationdevice. In order to further enhance device security, the faceplate caninclude an impact resistant transparent cover for protecting the screenportion of the device. Additionally, all ports of the device can berecessed within the faceplate to prevent damage. The user can theninterface with the device through a traditional mouse and keyboard orother external interface. Some institutional environments are limited ininfrastructure and budget to deploy advanced communications systems.Such institutions desire to provide the most services at the lowestoverall cost. The enclosure described herein fills this need because itis a drop-in replacement for conventional phone systems that are oftenfound in such institutions. The enclosure can therefore provide advancedcommunication services as well as voice services comparable toconventional telephone systems using the same infrastructure as aconventional phone system.

The foregoing and other aspects, features, details, utilities, andadvantages will be apparent from reading the following description andclaims, and from reviewing the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an enclosure according to anembodiment.

FIG. 1B is a front view of an enclosure according to an embodiment.

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an enclosure according to anembodiment.

FIG. 1D is a front view of an enclosure according to an embodiment.

FIG. 1E is a rear perspective view of an enclosure according to anembodiment.

FIG. 1F is a rear perspective view of an enclosure according to anembodiment.

FIG. 1G is a side view of an enclosure according to an embodiment.

FIG. 1H is a side view of an enclosure according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a view of an enclosure according to an embodiment that showsoptional hardware mounted to the enclosure.

FIG. 2B is a view of an enclosure according to an embodiment that showsoptional hardware mounted to the enclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inner side of a faceplate accordingto an embodiment.

FIGS. 4A-B are perspective views of the inner side of a faceplateaccording to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following Detailed Description refers to accompanying drawings toillustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure. References in theDetailed Description to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an exampleembodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every exemplaryembodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the relevantart(s) to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic inconnection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

Embodiments may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), firmware,software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments may also beimplemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, whichmay be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readablemedium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting informationin a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example,a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); randomaccess memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.), and others. Further, firmware, software, routines,instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions.However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely forconvenience and that such actions in fact results from computingdevices, processors, controllers, or other devices executing thefirmware, software, routines, instructions, etc. Further, any of theimplementation variations may be carried out by a general purposecomputer, as described below.

The following Detailed Description of the embodiments will so fullyreveal the general nature of the disclosure that others can, by applyingknowledge of those skilled in relevant art(s), readily modify and/oradapt for various applications such embodiments, without undueexperimentation, without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intendedto be within the meaning and plurality of equivalents of the embodimentsbased upon the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to beunderstood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purposeof description and not of limitation, such that the terminology orphraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by thoseskilled in relevant art(s) in light of the teachings herein.

Communications have evolved significantly since the days of analogtelephones. Modern communications involve two-way email, instantmessaging exchange, voice over IP (“VOIP”) calls, video conferencing, orother such internet protocol (“IP”) based communications. Conventionalanalog telephones cannot deliver these types of services. Therefore itis desirable to be able to provide advanced IP based telecommunicationscapabilities in the same footprint as conventional analog telephones. Itis also desirable to be able to deliver these advanced telecommunicationcapabilities at a low cost. Embodiments of an enclosure are describedherein, which provide a simple, cost-effective, and versatile way toinstall advanced communications devices within a facility.

FIGS. 1A-H illustrate embodiments of enclosure 100. Enclosure 100comprises housing 102 and a faceplate 104. Faceplate 104 at leastpartially encloses a communication device. Faceplate 104 is attached tohousing 102 by a faceplate mounting point that is not visible in thisview. Housing 102 has an angled front side to present faceplate 104 atan ergonomic angle to the user. Housing 102 has a bracket or bracketsfor mounting on an existing baseplate.

Faceplate

Faceplate 104 securely partially encloses communication device andincludes an opening sized to substantially the same size as the screenof communication device so that the screen is viewable by a user.Faceplate 104 securely retains and encloses communication device so thatcommunication device cannot be removed from the faceplate by a generaluser. Faceplate 104 is constructed so that a user interface of thecommunication device is accessible to a user but so that the deviceitself is not removable from the faceplate 104 by the user. Thefaceplate 104 therefore prevents theft of the communication device.Faceplate 104 is also designed to protect the communication device fromvandalism or other damage by enclosing portions of the communicationdevice. Faceplate 104 is constructed of a durable and rigid material toprotect the communication device from vandalism or theft. In someembodiments, faceplate 104 includes a transparent screen protectingmaterial to prevent damage to the communication device if thecommunication device includes a screen. These various protectionfeatures are particularly suited for application in environments whereabuse or vandalism is anticipated, such as a prison or jail. Otherinstitutional environments also benefit from robust protection fromvandalism and abuse because it decreases maintenance costs associatedwith damage to the communication device and support electronics.

In some embodiments, the communication device is a tablet computer. Forpurposes of this discussion, a tablet computer is an all-in-onecomputing device that incorporates a processor, memory, non-volatilememory, communications interfaces, and a screen within a singleenclosure. The screen is often a touch screen for user input. Faceplate104 in these embodiments is substantially a box shape slightly largerthan the tablet computer in every dimension. The tablet computer isclamped or otherwise secured within the faceplate such that the tabletcomputer screen is substantially flush with the front side of thefaceplate. There is an opening 106 on the front side of the faceplatethrough which the tablet computer screen is viewable. Opening 106 isdimensioned to be substantially the same dimensions as the tabletcomputer screen. The opening creates a bezel around the tablet computer.Slightly larger or smaller opening dimensions are acceptable as long asthe tablet computer is securely fastened within faceplate 104 and thescreen is not significantly occluded by faceplate 104.

However, in embodiments when device security is a particular concern,opening 106 is smaller to even further limit user access to the physicaldevice. In some embodiments the opening 106 is of a significantlydifferent dimension as the tablet computer. For example, in anembodiment the opening 106 is circular or round and the tablet computerrectangular. While this would occlude portions of the screen, suchocclusion is appropriate for some applications. For example, in anembodiment, the communications device runs software to modify its userinterface to the unique shape of the opening 106. Such a configurationprovides significant protection to the physical device without impedingthe user's visibility of the user interface. Such a configuration alsoincreases the durability and vandalism resistance of the enclosure 100by enclosing more of the communications device with faceplate 104 thatis made out of a more durable material than the communications device. Adesigner at the time of implementation may make the opening anydimension to suit the needs of the intended application.

Computer screens such as those integral to tablet computers can bedescribed in terms of aspect ratio. Aspect ratio of a screen is theratio of the horizontal dimension of the screen to the verticaldimension of the screen. Tablet computers typically include screens withone of 4:3 aspect ratio, a 3:2 aspect ratio, a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 5:3aspect ratio, or a 16:9 aspect ratio. For example, a screen that is 16inches wide and 9 inches tall would be an example of a screen with a16:9 aspect ratio. However, faceplate 104 is not limited to these aspectratios, and the faceplate may be adapted to any other aspect ratioscreen that is required.

Faceplate 104 includes an aperture 108 to allow, for example, a cameraintegral to communication device to be not occluded by the faceplate104. Other embodiments occlude or cover up user interface devices suchas a camera. Some tablet computers contain multiple user interfacedevices integrated into the tablet computer housing. Examples of userinterface devices in tablet computers include cameras, microphones,ports, and buttons. Ports commonly found on tablet computers include butare not limited to microphone ports, universal serial bus ports,headphone ports, or the like. In an embodiment, faceplate 104 isconfigured to selectively cover, or block one or more of these userinterface devices. This protects the devices from tampering by a user.In an alternative embodiment, faceplate 104 is configured to not blockor cover these devices so as to allow for easy access and/orfunctionality. For example, in an embodiment the tablet computerincludes a camera and faceplate 104 is dimensioned such that the camerais not blocked, or occluded, by faceplate 104. This allows the camera ofthe tablet computer to view a user of the tablet computer. This can beuseful in certain environments to allow for video conferencing or facialrecognition. In other embodiments, certain user interface devices areinaccessible to the user. For example, in some embodiments the camera iscovered by the faceplate so that it is substantially unusable. The sameselective blocking or occluding can be applied to other user interfacedevices such as microphones, buttons, ports, or other user interfacedevices. Each application may require a different assortment of tabletuser interface devices to be either accessible or not accessible to theend user.

FIG. 3 is an internal view of a faceplate according to an embodimentthat illustrates shock absorbing or dampening seats. Communicationsdevice 310 is positioned within the faceplate in between seats 302-308in order to protect the device from drops or other impacts while withinfaceplate 312. Some embodiments also include a shock absorbing ordampening gasket in between the front of communications device 310 andfaceplate 312. The shock absorbing or dampening gasket provides abarrier in between the front of device 310 and faceplate 312. The shockabsorbing or dampening gasket may be a single, continuous piece ofmaterial or may be made from several smaller seats similar to seats302-308. These smaller gasket seats reduce impact between thecommunications device and the front and back of faceplate 104 whileseats 302-308 reduce impact with the sides and lateral motion. All shockabsorbing or dampening seats and gaskets are made of an appropriatematerial such as but not limited to foam, rubber, or plastic.

FIG. 4A is an internal view of a faceplate according to an embodimentthat illustrates an adjustable seat design. Faceplate 420 accommodates arange of sizes of communication devices with adjustable seats 402-408.In FIG. 4A adjustable seats 402-408 travel along adjustable members410-416 to accommodate communication device 418. In FIG. 4B the sameadjustable seats 402-408 are adjusted to accommodate a smallercommunication device 422. Other embodiments have fewer or moreadjustable seats. For example, some embodiments have just two adjustableseats on opposite sides, or a single adjustable seat with a stationarynon-adjustable seat on the opposite side. Other embodiments may alsohave adjustable seats located at the corners of communication device 418rather than the edges as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Faceplate Mount

Returning to FIG. 1A-H, faceplate 104 mounts to a front mount side ofhousing 102.

The mount side of the housing includes a faceplate mounting point forphysically securing the faceplate to the housing. FIG. 1C for exampleillustrates how faceplate 104 is mounted to housing 102. The faceplatemounting point may be any type of mounting apparatus that physicallyjoins the faceplate to the housing. In an embodiment, the faceplatemounting point is a bolt hole pattern that allows the faceplate to bebolted to the housing. The faceplate mounting point is configured to benon-directional. In other words, the faceplate mounting point allows thefaceplate to be mounted in at least a vertical orientation or ahorizontal orientation.

In embodiments where the faceplate is rectangular or has one dimensiongreater than the other, the faceplate is mounted in either a landscapeor portrait orientation. Landscape orientation is any orientation wherethe horizontal dimension is greater than the vertical dimension.Portrait orientation is any orientation where the vertical dimension isgreater than the horizontal dimension. For example, FIG. 1A illustratesa faceplate mounted in a portrait orientation and FIG. 1C illustrates afaceplate mounted in a landscape orientation. In an embodiment, thefaceplate mounting point can be configured to permit installation in atleast a portrait or landscape orientation, and to retain thatorientation while the faceplate is mounted.

In an embodiment, the faceplate mounting point includes a rotatablemember to allow faceplate 104 to be rotated with respect to housing 102.In this embodiment, the rotatable mounting point is configured to allowan end-user to rotate it on demand. In another embodiment the rotatablemounting point is configured to be rotatable only during installation ormaintenance. This would allow for a communication device enclosed in thefaceplate 104 to be changed from one orientation to another, for examplefrom portrait to landscape orientation.

The faceplate mounting point includes a passage for wires or othercommunications between electronics in the housing and the communicationdevice. For example, in an embodiment, the housing houses a power supplyunit to supply power to the communication device. In this embodiment,the power supply cable passes through the faceplate mounting point tothe faceplate and connect to the communication device. Other examples ofsupport electronics that may be housed by the housing include networkcommunications cables or user interface peripheral cables, such as akeyboard cable or a USB cable for other communications. The passage maybe dimensioned to accommodate any wires or communications necessarybetween housing 102 and faceplate 104.

aperture 108 aperture 108

Housing

Housing 102 has an angled front mount side to present faceplate 104 atan ergonomic angle to the user. For example FIGS. 1G and 1H illustrateone example of an ergonomic angled front mount side. This isadvantageous in installations where the housing is mounted at a heightlower than the expected eye level of a user. The angle is chosen toallow a user to view the communication device with minimal discomfort.For example, in some embodiments, the housing is installed in on aformer POTS telephone mount. These mounts were generally positioned tobe only about four to five feet off the ground to allow for thetelephone keypad to approximately align with a user's arms. Thus, in anembodiment, the enclosure described herein will often be positionedlower than eye level. The angled screen is configured to compensate forthe vertical positioning. In other embodiments, housing 102 has anon-angled front mount side.

Housing 102 includes air vents 110 to allow ventilation of any internalcomponents housed by housing 102. In an embodiment, the air vents 110are positioned toward an uppermost portion of the side walls of thehousing 102. Due to the rising properties of heat, positioning the airvents at the top of the housing will allow for better heat dissipation.Additionally, it is sometimes preferred to divert heat away from a topsurface, since user's are often inclined to rest objects or place theirhands on the top of the housing out of convenience. This can causeproperty damage, result in injury, or constitute a fire hazard.Therefore, in an embodiment, the air vents 110 are not placed on the topsurface, but rather on the side surfaces of the housing 102. Air vents110 prevent accumulation of excess heat from internal components. In anembodiment, in order to further improve airflow within the housing andfurther prevent overheating, a fan or other air dispersal device can bepositioned at or near the air vents. In other embodiments air vents areplaced so as to be substantially inaccessible to users to preventvandalism or accidental ingress into the housing 102 to protect anysupport electronics housed within housing 102.

FIGS. 1E-F are rear perspective views of enclosure 100 according to anembodiment. Housing 102 includes internal brackets 118 and 120 forsecurely fastening any support equipment. Examples of support equipmentthat may be enclosed by housing 102 include power conversion equipmentand network interface equipment. Any other kind of equipment tofacilitate communications may also be enclosed in housing 102. In someembodiments housing 102 includes any number of internal brackets ormounting points for various equipment as necessary.

Housing 102 also includes phone backboard mounting points 114 and 116.Phone backboard mounting points 114 and 116 are configured such thatthey allow mounting on any phone backboard. The housing includes a backside that is adapted to mount to an existing phone backboard. Forexample, in some embodiments, the rear housing is mountable tocommercially available phone backboards such as the TMG TM4500, TMGTM4000, the TMG TM178A-ADP-300, or other phone backboards. This allowsthe enclosure to be mounted where conventional phone systems havepreviously been installed. To facilitate mounting to existingbackboards, the housing back side includes a mounting plate or bracketson the rear surface with attachment points in a pattern compatible withphone backboards.

Housing 102 also includes optional mounting point 112 for mountingadditional hardware. Optional mounting point 112 is discussed in moredetail below.

Handset

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an enclosure 200 according to anembodiment that shows optional hardware mounted to the enclosure by themounting point 112. Handset hook switch 212 is mounted to the mountingpoint 112 on housing 202. Handset 314 rests on handset hook 212. FIG. 2Bis a front view of enclosure 200 according to an embodiment that showsoptional hardware mounted to the enclosure. Handset 214 rests on ahandset hook that is mounted to enclosure 202.

A hook switch is a hook that holds a telephone handset and indicateswhen the handset is on the hook and when it is not on the hook.Including a handset into the enclosure 100 is beneficial when replacingconventional POTS phone systems because it allows a single enclosure toprovide voice services comparable to conventional POTS phone systems aswell as advanced IP-based services. This provides a cost-effectiveupgrade path for conventional POTS phone system installations. Housing202 may also house support equipment that enables the communicationdevice to receive both power and network communications via a singleconnection comparable to conventional POTS phone systems.

As discussed above, including a handset and hook switch on enclosure 200enables the enclosure to provide both voice communications comparable toconventional POTS phone systems as well as IP-based communications in asingle enclosure. Also as discussed above, the enclosure is mountable onphone backboards that conventional POTS phone systems are mounted to.Thus, it is possible to install a system including enclosure 200 inlocations previously occupied by conventional POTS phone systems thatprovides voice services comparable to conventional POTS systems as wellas IP-based communications services.

In an embodiment, the communication device is configured with softwareto utilize the handset 314. In an embodiment, the software is configuredto put the communication device into a voice communication mode whenhandset 314 is lifted off of handset hook switch 212. For example, thevoice communication mode presents a user interface comparable to aconventional POTS phone system including a number pad. In this way theenclosure and communication device provide voice services comparable toconventional POTS phone systems. This embodiment also demonstrates howthe enclosure can provide voice services to users in a manner that isfamiliar to users of conventional POTS phone systems by emulating aconventional POTS phone. In another embodiment the faceplate includes aphysical number pad for user interaction similar to conventional POTSphone systems. A physical number pad can provide DTMF or other controlsignals to the communication device to inform the communication deviceof a telephone number desired to be called. In combination with handset314, the physical number pad provides a familiar interface to usersaccustomed to conventional POTS phone systems.

Although several embodiments of this invention have been described abovewith a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art couldmake numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departingfrom the spirit or scope of this invention. Therefore, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and notlimiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having afront side and a back side, the back side of the housing being adaptedto mount to a phone backboard, the front side of the housing having afaceplate mounting point; and a faceplate defining an enclosure that isadapted to partially enclose and support therein a communication device,the faceplate having a front side and a back side, the back side of thefaceplate configured to mount to the faceplate mounting point and thefront side of the faceplate configured to positionally support a frontface of the communication device.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe communication device is a tablet computer.
 3. The apparatus of claim2, wherein the faceplate mounting point is configured to mount thefaceplate to the housing in both a landscape orientation and a portraitorientation.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the faceplate mountingpoint is rotatable between the landscape orientation and the portraitorientations.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the front side of thefaceplate includes a display opening sized to substantially a same sizeof a display area of the tablet computer such that the front side of thefaceplate does not occlude the display area.
 6. The apparatus of claim5, wherein the tablet computer includes a front-facing camera, and thedisplay opening includes a camera aperture so as to not occlude thefield of view of the camera.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thefront side of the faceplate includes a display opening sizedsubstantially smaller than a size of a display area of the tabletcomputer such that the front side of the faceplate occludes a portionthe display area.
 8. The apparatus if claim 7, wherein the tabletcomputer presents a graphical user interface that is modified to theshape of the display opening.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a handset and hook switch mounted to a side surface of thehousing.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the faceplate mountingpoint includes a passage configured to allow for wires to pass betweenthe faceplate and the housing.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefaceplate contains two or more seats to secure the communication devicewithin the faceplate.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two ormore seats are adjustable to accommodate a range of sizes of thecommunication device.
 13. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having afront side and a back side, the back side of the housing being adaptedto mount to a wall or a base and to receive network and powerconnections, the front side of the housing having a faceplate mountingpoint; and a faceplate defining an enclosure that is adapted topartially enclose and support therein a communication device, thefaceplate having a front side and a back side, the back side of thefaceplate configured to mount to the faceplate mounting point and thefront side faceplate configured to positionally support a front face ofthe communication device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein thenetwork and power connections include power-over-Ethernet (PoE)connections.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a handsetand hook switch mounted to a side surface of the housing.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15, wherein the housing is configured to housecommunication interface equipment to interface between the network andpower connections and the communication device.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the faceplate mounting point includes a passageconfigured to allow connection between the communication interfaceequipment and the communication device.
 18. An apparatus, comprising: ahousing including a front side and a back side adapted to mount to awall or a base; and a faceplate defining an enclosure that is adapted topartially enclose and support therein a communication device, thefaceplate including: a front side configured to positionally support afront face of the communication device, the front side of the faceplatehaving a display view area sized to a size of a display area of thecommunication device; and a back side configured to mount to the frontside of the housing.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the frontside of the faceplate further includes a camera view area configured toallow a field of view of a camera of the communication device.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein the display view area is configured fortouch access to a screen of the communication device.